Reading & Writing Activities:
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Tea Party- Each student gets a strip of paper
with a sentence or dialogue from a story. Students must say what
is on their strip, and only what is on the strip, to at least 5 different
people. Then, the students try to predict what the story will be
about based on the sentences they heard. (Activity presented in class.)
-
Fairy Tale Times- The students create a newspaper
containing events from various fairy tales. Newspaper includes: feature
articles, editorials, sports, advertisements, the classifieds, comic strips,
personal ads, and obituaries. Examples include: “I was framed! said the
Big Bad Wolf” (The 3 Pigs), “Child charged with breaking and entering”
(Goldilocks and the 3 Bears), and “Mysterious woman found wandering the
beach” (The Little Mermaid).1
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Gender Bender- Rewrite the story and change the main
character's gender. How might the story have been different?2
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Personal Ad- Students write a personal ad from
the point of view of a fairy tale character. What qualities would
that character be looking for?2
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Modern Rewrite- Chose a point in the story.
Students rewrite the story from that point based on what an average person
would do today. Example: Snow White wakes up to find a man she has
never seen before kissing her. She slaps him and kicks him out.
Then, she files a police report.
-
Venn Diagram- Use a Venn Diagram (two overlapping
circles) to compare and contrast Cinderella characters from two different
countries.
-
Chart of Characteristics- Make a chart of characteristics
common to fairy tales.
Example:
|
Cinderella |
The 3 Pigs |
Snow White |
| Happened long ago |
Once upon a time… |
There once were… |
Once upon a time…. |
| Element of magic |
Fairy Godmother |
Talking pigs and talking wolf |
Magic mirror |
| Happy ending |
Cinderella and Prince together |
Wolf is never seen again |
Snow White and Prince together |
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Art & Drama Activities:
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Readers Theater- Provide students with a script
or have the students create their own. Students read from the script,
there is no need to memorize. Students can prepare a performance
for younger students.
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Storyboard- Make a graphic representation of 3 to
6 significant events in the story. This can be done individually
or in small groups. Example: Divide the class into 6 different groups.
Each group reads a version of Cinderella from a different country.
Each group creates a storyboard and shares it with the class.
The students can compare and contrast the different versions based on the
storyboards.
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Costume and Dress- After reading fairy tales from
different countries, students research dress in those countries.
Students put on a fashion show. Example: Research dress after
reading Cinderella stories. Put on a Cinderella/Prince Charming From
Around the World Fashion Show.1
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Tableau- In groups, students create a frozen
scene from the story. A group member is the director and will tap
once person on the shoulder. That person is will speak in person
while the other people remain frozen. When that person is tapped
again, they freeze. Each student will have an opportunity to be unfrozen
and speak in character.
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Hot Seat- The person in the “hot seat” answers questions,
in character, from other group members. Group members can ask
questions about certain events, motivation for certain actions, or what
happened when the character was “off camera,” or out of the scene.
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Board Game- Design a board game based on the events
of the story.2
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If the Shoe Fits- Have students select 3 fairy
tale characters. The students will make a collage using shoes from
magazines and catalogs. The shoes need to fit the character's personality
or activity. Example: Jack (from Jack and the Beanstalk) needs athletic
sneakers for climbing up and down the beanstalk and running away form the
giant.3
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References:
1. Wolf, J. M. (1997) The Beanstalk and Beyond.
Englewood, Colorado: Teacher
Ideas Press.
2. Burke, J. (1998) “103 Things to do Before/During/After
Reading.” The English
Teacher’s Companion.
New York: Boyntom-Cook.
3. Flack, J. D. (1997) From the Land of Enchantment.
Colorado Springs: University
of Colorado Press.
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